Mineral processing solutions major Metso has taken the innovative step of installing its own solar panels to self-supply its electricity consumption for its facilities within Codelco’s Gabriela Mistral copper mine, commonly known as Gaby.

The mine is an example of innovation and sustainability for Chilean mining. The Codelco division located in the Sierra Gorda region, at 2,660 m above sea level, has a fleet of Komatsu 930E autonomous haul trucks, while 20% of its workforce is female and 8% of the staff belong to indigenous groups.

With a production of 109,524 t of fine copper in 2022, the operation has also promoted concrete actions in terms of environmental sustainability. In terms of energy, since 2013 it has covered part of its demand with solar energy thanks to a solar farm at the mine, reducing the use of fossil fuels in the processes of obtaining copper.

Metso says this is why it wanted to reinforce that sustainability strategy by recently inaugurating solar panels with an electricity generation that will cover all the demand of its facilities within the mining unit. The company is providing screen repair services for Gabriela Mistral from October 2018 to June 2025. With the installation of these new photovoltaic panels, Metso will eliminate the use of a stationary diesel generator, eliminating diesel fuel consumption.

Gabriela Mistral’s Operations Manager, Rodrigo Ocedin, commented that this initiative is an important part of Codelco’s divisional and corporate commitment to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases by 70% by 2030 and its Sustainable Development Policy. “We must move forward together with our collaborators to give more value to our process and we hope that more companies join with this type of project.”

Manuel Guzmán, HSEQ Director for South America and Macarena Vallejo, Marketing Director for South America at Metso, who have led these initiatives, explained at the inauguration ceremony of the photovoltaic panels that “with these solar panels, we will reduce our carbon footprint within Gabriela Mistral. For us it is an important milestone, since this and other initiatives in our factories contribute to reaching our goal of reaching zero CO2 emissions by 2030.”